Benefits and properties of cucumber

Cucumber is rich in benefits and properties and in summer it is also an excellent refresher for our salads, snacks etc.

The cucumber is part of the Cucurbitaceae family, which originates from India and it seems that they were cultivated in areas of the Himalayas, about 5000 years ago. Probably it has spread thanks to the Egyptians, and achieved a broad consensus from the greeks and romans who considered it a vegetable that can stimulate the mental functions, as well as being very refreshing.

In Europe the cucumber spread only after the 16th century and was immediately also used for creams and lotions, especially to treat diseases of the dermis.

The flavour of the cucumber is bitter this is why we should rub the ends against the peel, this way it extracts the white liquid that determines the flavour, in this way the cucumber acquires a much more pleasant flavour.

There are various types of cucumber:

The Long Green Italian;
The Marketer that can reach a length of up to 25 cm;
The half long white with the candied peel;
The Parisian.

The cucumber has always been considered a very good vegetable in a very healthy and balanced diet and this especially for its contents:

Vitamin A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, C, K and J
Fibre
Calcium
Potassium
Phosphorus
Sodium
Magnesium
Fluoride
Zinc
Copper
Manganese
Folates
Thiamine
Silica
Aspartic acid and glutamic acid
Caffeic acid
Lariciresinol
Pinoresinol
Secoisolariciresinol
Amino acids: arginine, alanine, cystine, fenilananina, glycine, isoleucine, lysine, leucine, serine, threonine, valine and proline.
In addition it also contains tartaric acid which helps to avoid that the proteins are converted into fat and it is for this reason that the cucumber is considered to be a friend of the slimming diet.

Benefits and properties of cucumber:

SLIMMING: thanks to the tartaric acid, as described above, the cucumber helps to lose weight;

PURIFYING: the cucumber is an excellent diuretic and helps to purify the body and to get rid of toxins, especially it is an allie of the emuntori organs and pancreas;

REFRESHING: this vegetable has always been considered refreshing, hence you can prepare a very good detox water for summer;

ANTI-TUMOR ACTIVITY: Cucumber is an excellent remedy against the spread of cancer cells;

HYPOCHOLESTEROLEMIC: it is a known fact that cucumber is able to lower the rate of bad cholesterol in the blood;

PREVENTS STONES: thanks to its purifying action cucumber prevents the formation of the stones in the bladder and kidneys;

LXATIVE: Cucumber is the ideal food for those who suffer from constipation;

EMOLLIENT: Cucumber is also excellent for the skin because it is useful for treating inflammation and itching, impure and cracked skin. Moreover cucumber is able to attenuate spots on the face and prevent wrinkles;

GASTROPROTECTIVE: It helps to regularize the gastric acidity;

TONING: the juice of the cucumber is great for toning muscles, especially the intestinal and cardiac, and strengthens tissue as well as tendons and ligaments since it is rich in silica;

REGULATES BLOOD PRESSURE: Cucumber helps to regulate blood pressure and is a recommended food to those who suffer from high blood pressure;

ADJUSTS GLYCEMIA: Cucumber represents a valid help for those who suffer from diabetes;

MOISTURIZING: Cucumbers being very rich in water helps keep body tissue hydrated and therefore the skin elastic and young, moreover it reintegrates the lost mineral salts.

These are the most known benefits and properties of cucumber, however not everyone knows that anciently cucumber was also used as an antipyretic and to eliminate bowel parasites but also to treat gout and excessive rates of uric acid in the blood that cause pain in the joints.
Moreover cucumber can be very useful for fighting halitosis and also to face a day after having partied all night long, it is great real post-hangover remedy.